Electrical extension cords are ubiquitous in modern society, and are highly useful for both indoor applications and outdoor applications. In particular, extension cords are useful in indoor applications for connecting vacuum cleaners, televisions, stereos and other electrical applies to remote electrical outlets, and in outdoor applications for connecting electric-powered drills, lawnmowers, blowers, grills, and other outdoor appliances to remote electrical outlets. Extension cords can be found in a variety of lengths.
Extension cords are unwieldy and difficult to store. If not stored properly, extension cords can become damaged, or entangled. In an effort to provide storage for extension cords, skilled artisans have devised various extension cord storage devices that provide an enclosed storage space for an extension cord. Most of the exemplary extension cord storage devices incorporate a reel onto which the extension cord is wound, in which the extension cord winds and unwinds relative to the reel between a stored wound condition about the reel and an operative extended position. Existing such extendible and retractable storage devices, while adequate, are difficult to construct, expensive, are not able to be used with extension cords of differing lengths, and are difficult to maintain and service. Other structural and functional shortcomings are also noted.